My two favourite squash/pumpkin recipes (both from Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World, although the soup is supposed to be with carrots):

Squash soup

3 Tbsp butter or oil
1 onion or 2 shallots, chopped
1 large baking pototo, peeled and grated (or chopped)
1 lb squash, peeled and grated (or chopped)
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
sour cream or cream to serve

1. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion or shallots, potato and squash and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Puree with an immersion blender or put through a food mill. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Squash pasta (savory version in brackets)

2 Tbsp butter (or oil)
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed dried chilies
1/4 tsp nutmeg (or garlic)
1 tsp sugar (or omit)
1 lb squash, grated or already cooked
1 lb cut pasta
grated parmesan for serving

1. Put pasta water on to boil (salted). Add the pasta when it boils and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water when you drain it.
2. In a large frying pan, heat the butter or oil. Add the crushed chilis, nutmeg sugar, squash and 1/2 cup of water.
3. Cook, stirring and adding more water occasionally, until the squash is cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the pasta cooking water as needed to thin the sauce and toss with the pasta.
5. Serve topped with parmesan.

I brought the pasta to a potluck, and it was quite popular, although people were surprised at the spiciness.

Hmmm. I think the squash or pumpkin angle is a good one, though Gud's Mess o' Potatoes sounds delish. It's hard doing non-desserts because you really need something that's going to be okay at room temp or cold.

Thanks!

Can't agree enough with that article you linked to, Kat, and I'm so glad that you aren't giving empty praise to the teachers, either.

I made carrots and parsnips a couple of weeks ago, AIWFG.

I spend my life in an about even-keeled desirous haze for au gratin potatoes. I fear I may be slipping even deeper into it as I type.

Mmm, au gratin potatoes.

Homer Simpson drool noise

I'm not a prank person, usually. But this makes me laugh.

Man, I'm the kind of driver who would lose my shit entirely if I were stuck there.

However, watching it on YouTube, I laughed and laughed. Particularly because of the cow.

That pasta sounds fantastic.

I would have to be car one or two, next to that crosswalk, otherwise I'd have lost my shit too. But in a position to watch them all, even if I had no idea what was going on - I'd probably have laughed.

It's just more effort to say that than, "Good idea!"

No kidding! I keep working on, "You're being really persistent, and I admire the way you're trying different things," and "You've done a really good job of... doing the thing I told you to do in... a very direction-following way!" instead of just, "Great!" but god, it's a lot more work.

Plus, I know this is weird, but it keeps feeling like a consolation prize. Because we all know "He's great!" is good, but "He has a very nice personality, and he is accomplished in his work" means there's a catch.

We made a way yummer brown butter squash soup on Sunday. Basically you roast a couple pounds of squash in the oven until soft and a bit browned. For the browned butter, take a stick of butter (the recipe asked for two sticks, but I balked) and heat in a pan until it separates and browns, then put it in an ice bath to cool. When both are prepared, all you do to assemble the soup is blend the squash with 4 cu broth, then drizzle in the butter through the top of the blender. Add salt and pepper.

Simple and delicious.